Grilled Wild Mushroom Salad with Black Walnut Vinaigrette

Grilled Wild Mushroom Salad with Black Walnut Vinaigrette

Black walnuts possess an earthy, intense flavor very different from the "tame" flavor of the familiar English walnut. For some, this distinctive flavor is an acquired taste; for others, it's love at first bite.

Given the intense flavor of black walnuts, black walnut oil is much milder in flavor than you might expect. It has a surprisingly rich, buttery texture with complex notes reminiscent of truffle oil. It's robust enough to hold its own with full-flavored ingredients, like wild mushrooms, yet it's never overpowering or cloying.

Add the woodsy flavor of fire-grilled chanterelle mushrooms and the sweetness of ripe pears, and you just might find that this is a salad to remember.